Jane Kim Wins California Insurance Commissioner Race, Proposes State-Run Wildfire Insurance Fund

Jane Kim secured victory Friday in the race for California insurance commissioner, defeating fellow Democrat Ben Allen with roughly 53% of the vote and a margin of about 400,000 ballots, according to the Associated Press.

The former San Francisco supervisor declared her win at San Francisco’s Dolores Park after receiving a congratulatory phone call from Allen earlier that morning. Kim, 49, is backed by Senator Bernie Sanders.

The campaign centered on a pledge to establish a first-of-its-kind public disaster insurance program called Natural Disaster Insurance for All. Kim told supporters at her victory event that the state-run, nonprofit alternative would wrestle control of wildfire coverage away from private carriers.

“We are here to say no more.”

Congratulations to Jane Kim on her election as California Insurance Commissioner. At a time when insurance companies are raking in record profits while working families struggle to afford coverage, Jane will stand up to powerful corporate interests.

— Post by @BernieSanders on X

“We are going to take on this $3-trillion industry because they have been profiting for way too long by raising our premiums, canceling our coverage and fighting our claims,” Kim said.

California property owners face an escalating insurance crunch as major companies pull back from the market. Stanford research shows that homeowners insurance premiums have surged 84% since 2020. At the same time, enrollment in the state FAIR Plan has nearly tripled, growing to cover roughly 5% of California homes compared to less than 2% previously.

Seven of California’s largest property insurers have limited or paused new policies across the state, pushing the insurance squeeze beyond traditional high-risk zones and into the broader housing market. Kim’s proposed public fund aims to separate wildfire coverage from standard homeowners policies, ensuring coverage for every current homeowner without corporate premiums funding executive pay, shareholders, or advertising.

Jane Kim wins race to be California's next insurance commissioner https://t.co/WCV6sdvP5k

— Post by @latimes on X

“The idea is that every current homeowner would be covered, and it would be a nonprofit fund where premiums don’t have to go to CEO pay, shareholders and Super Bowl ads,” Kim said.

Turning the ambitious proposal into state policy will require legislative cooperation and administrative planning. Kim acknowledged these upcoming hurdles at her event, stating that the office requires working with community leaders across the state rather than operating as a dictatorship. Despite those challenges, the commissioner-elect stated she expects to make measurable progress on affordability, availability, and fairness during her first year in office.

Jane Kim vows state-run wildfire insurance fund for California — Photo: newsbeep.com

“This office is not a dictatorship.”

“I really believe we’re going to have some wins in our first year because there is a lot of work that can be done to make insurance more affordable, more available and more fair,” she said.